Contraband Cinema at BAM: I Will Crush You, I Will Krush Groove 7/8

Two films (not Miracle at St. Anna) will be playing next week as part of BAM's current Contraband Cinema series that are toward the top of my favorites in respective categories. It just so happens, these two films are playing on July 8th. The series examines a wide range of films that are politically charged in different ways: personal, imagined, proposed, social. I'm just surprised a few more well known films such as Harlan County USA wouldn't be on here. Anywho, BAM does it again and I'm glad I'm about a 10 minute walk from it.

Sound and Fury, an extraordinary documentary about a deaf family and their internal debate about cochlear implants and deaf culture, is on the early bill on the 8th. It's heartbreaking and the frustration of the father is so incredible to witness because it comes from pureness of heart.

And for the main event of the evening, Rocky IV. Before you laugh, consider that it is the most pleasurable of the 6 films in the series (not the best, just the most touch-yourself one) and the undercurrent of 80s propaganda along with other mainstream films such as Superman IV and any Chuck Norris movie makes it an excessive and really interesting movie. It's not that it should be given a gold star for merit, but it also comes from a pure purpose it seems, even if it's subconscious. That and Sylvester Stallone slurring through an epic speech in English to a Russian audience that realistically doesn't understand him is hilarious. Those crazy Russians, just in time for all that hobknobbery about spies.

In other news, I enjoyed the new Karate Kid (I own the original on VHS).

I would give you the training montage to Rocky IV. It's insanely awesome. However, I'll just give you a scene from Gorky Park.

Poster Critiques - Athlete, Courier, The Expendables Banner, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

I haven't done a poster critique in a while so let's do a whirlwind to make up for it. First up: Athlete, which I know nearly nothing about, but it comes out on DVD March 9. There are several different posters floating around but a couple of them are pretty striking but a bit vague about what the doc is actually about. My favorite is the version above and there's a couple of things I really love about it. The text is your usual inspirational stuff and written in a gritty handwritten way, but I like the fact that the socks are pulled up; it's not a stylish look and that's gives a sense that the film is less about posturing and machismo and more of the heart of what it means to be an athlete. I kinda hope that whoever this photo is of, that he or she is a character in the doc.

The next poster I'm looking at is Courier. Sure it's in development, but from the poster maybe they should just label it as "sucking." There's a lot of things wrong with this one upon closer inspection. A lot of the space feels either unused or useless; the numbers scrolling over the background map feels really cliched.

What's really bad is the copy; writers of Wanted is ok but who gives a shit about any of the Resident Evil movies, much less their director(s)? Adrien Brody is a lot of things but he's not an action guy, which is what the film is saying to me with the gun and the suit and the macguffin. It already feels miscast, maybe they leave his name out of it. He looks like he has a weak frame and those Diet Coke commercials ("HAY BRODY") tried to make him look cool but he just doesn't look cool. The tag line for the poster, "He Delivers", is just stupid. I think I've seen this movie before, it's called Transporter, Transporter 2, and Transporter 3. I'm sure this is a mock up but even at that it's pretty bad.

Next up is banner artwork for Expendables. I'm not totally into the poster with the back tattoo, just because it just kind of looks silly, trying too hard, etc. This though, is pretty awesome: Winged shiny skull? Fuck yeah. Blood text extension of 'Semper Fi' to 'Semper Fight'? Jizz. Weird combo of aforementioned Transporter actor, Sylvester Stallone (extraordinary director? Nope), and Jet Li. And he doesn't play an evil Asian dictator.

The last one for now, and what I think is the most interesting is Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the sequel to the Academy Award winning (a weak year perhaps?) Wall Street. Oliver Stone still seems like a scary asshole who would be a horrible father but I like the two initial posters that have surfaced for this.

There are some differences between the two, namely the presentation of Michael Douglas's more powerful father figure type character in the first one and an aging mentor type in the second one. Alternately, you can say Shia LaBeouf's character is two shades of young upstart. If you look closely, the rendition of the posters is what makes it cool and very old school, almost 70s. Throw in the simple font and you have a throwback poster style. It gives the characters weight and a timeless quality, as if what they are about is something important and elite. I also like the accessories shown, LaBeouf's pocket handkerchief and Douglas's pocket watch chain in the first poster. I also like that in the second poster especially, LaBeouf's profile is in a light background and Douglas is in the dark. Of course the trailer is kind of meh but these posters do this business film justice. I'm not a huge fan of the subtitle, but it's not a huge deal.

A necessary sequel? Probably not; but an old school look is one of the best decisions.

Not Doing Anything This Weekend? Free Hip Hop Docs (and happy hour drink prices) from The Kings County Cinema Society

This Sunday July 19th, the friends at the Kings County Cinema Society are blasting serious beats this weekend in Gowanus at the newish performance space Littlefield located on 622 Degraw Street. The double bill includes the Beastie Boys concert documentary at 6pm , Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That! and at 8:30pm Rock The Bells, which chronicles the reunion of the Wu-Tang Clan for the Rock The Bells concert back in 2004. All Eastern times folks.

In between there will be BBQ for you foodies, as well as happy hour (aka recession era) drink prices, very cheap, very awesome, Gooooooowanus! And, to get you in the groove between, before, and after the par-tay, is DJ empanadamn. Yes that's a combo of two words if you want to think of it as such.


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The Kings County Cinema Society is doing Brooklyn right, check out their site and look for more events every week!

Gashouse Gorillas - Death of the American Dream Part 3

Here we are, the dramatic third part of the flaming doc, Death of the American Dream, or DAD, or DOTAD.



As usual, you can see Gashouse Gorillas material on YouTube here: www.youtube.com/gashousecomedy

The Gashouse Gorillas - Death Of The American Dream Part 1

Here it is folks, part 1 of a 4 part series (hopefully with that phrasing it'll draw comparisons to 48 Hours Mystery). But it ain't no mystery. We see how Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail comes about, and with a little help from fellow UCB classmate Jason Curtis, the round of very gentle men is complete. Part 2 to come next week.

Death of the American Dream - A Gashouse Gorillas Production

They're back with a vengeance folks, it's New York's finest and less lamest comedy group of perverted, desperate souls, The Gashouse Gorillas. No, not that jazz band, so disavow all your assumptions.

Check out the trailer for the 4 part series, Death of the American Dream. It's a low key, affecting effort, an unrequited love story of a bar, an establishment that meant something unique to a community years ago. Two friends. Only one will have his heartbroken, and the other, heart attacked by a thirst for the good stuff.



Stay tuned for Part 1 later this week, or if you can't wait, check them out on YouTube.